


Trust Exercise

by LamiasLuck



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Emotional Manipulation, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Monsters, Near Death Experiences, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:00:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27336811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LamiasLuck/pseuds/LamiasLuck
Summary: You find yourself waking up in an unknown mansion, with no idea how you got here and how to get back home. There's a beast roaming the halls hunting for its next meal. Surely, you will be food, if not for a surprise helper. Some man that's able to speak to you in your head, accompanied by a grating sound of a radio's static. How the hell will you escape like this?Can you trust The Host...?
Relationships: The Host & reader
Kudos: 10





	Trust Exercise

You open your eyes, only to find your surroundings nearly pitch black. There’s one window letting in the dim moonlight, showcasing the empty, decaying room. You don’t remember how you got here. With a hesitant step forward, you hear the wooden floorboards creak loudly beneath your feet.

Something else creaks the floorboards in the near distance. You don’t know who, or what that is.

Panic begins flooding through your veins. The two biggest questions: how did you get here and what the hell is here with you, stay unanswered. You just know you have to get out, but how? Add that to the ever-expanding list.

You hear something else; the sound of an old radio switching on. Again, you can’t pinpoint the source. It almost sounds like it’s in your head?

“How interesting,” a deep voice laced with the radio’s static hums in amusement. “This is quite the situation. It’d be a shame to get hurt here.” It sounds like this man is speaking in your head alone. In your scrambled mind, you manage to ask where you are.

“The Host isn’t sure how they both got here, but he does know one thing: only one of them is in danger right now and it’s certainly not him.” There’s an influx of that annoying static noise. You can only interpret that as him laughing. Your breathing begins to pick up.

“Now, now, this is no time to get scared,” he reassures. “The Host is sure he knows this place, oddly enough. Let him be a guide during this, but take this as a warning, there has to be trust in him.”

You wonder what will happen if you don’t follow The Host’s instructions. It’s then you hear the near distant creaking of the floorboards. Has it gotten closer?

“Of course, The Host can be ignored. Choices are important, and if the choice is to confidently walk into death, then he can’t stop that.” There’s that static-filled laugh again. He’s oddly chipper for a situation he claims to be lost in, too. “What’s the choice, friend?”

There aren’t many options here. You just want to go home. So, hesitantly, you nod and hope for the best.

“Perfect~” he purrs. “Trust him and it should be all fine. This other creature cannot hear him, so he can speak all his wants. Isn’t that great?”

You can’t find it in yourself to enjoy hearing his suspiciously happy voice. Who is ‘The Host’ anyways? What does he want from you? You don’t know if he’s real, only being in your head and all. Last time you checked, a random man speaking to you isn’t normal. His dialect is intriguing, always speaking in the third person in that composed voice of his. His words hold power in them and wrap around your mind in a subtle trance.

“Follow every word carefully, as anything less will result in... less than desired results,” he hums with a teasing tone. He sounds far too calm while saying that. Surely, it’s only you in danger, but does he have no remorse for your situation? A small part of you hopes that it means you’re not in dire danger. The rest of you knows that can’t be the case. 

That static is at a constant buzz now as The Host mutters something incoherent under his breath. At his call, you step forward cautiously with light feet on the floorboard off to your right. It doesn’t creek under your weight this time. The Host really must know this area well. A part of you wonders why. With more carefully guided steps, you exit the room and appear to be in a hallway. No windows, no light.

You let out a shaky breath. “Shh~ perhaps keep those panicked breaths to a minimum,” he warns. “The beast can’t see, too, but it has excellent hearing. At the moment, they’re on the second floor of this mansion, so it would be wise to start walking.”

If only there was a button to turn this radio off; sounds like a radio, at least. Still, you follow every instruction given and keep venturing out. The air feels thicker in these halls. Perhaps because you’re sharing it with some beast.

“The Host isn’t sure how to describe this beast, but it will never be seen in the dark, so what’s the point?” he giggles lightly with a pleased hum. Well, that’s awfully convenient. 

He fills in the empty silence you would’ve used to think and rambles nonsense constantly. It really tells that he’s in no danger at all, but you can’t risk asking any of the plethora of questions you have. Well, not like you’re much of a speaker anyway. The tension here is strong enough to strangle someone.

“This beast is awfully hungry, starving for dozens of years. The Host wouldn’t blame anyone if they feel bad enough to willingly sacrifice themselves to its welcoming claws.” The static jumps in volume as he laughs loudly, the ugly sound nearly making you flinch. “No need to laugh along with him, he knows it’s funny.”

Are there any other guides available for this? It would be nice to get a replacement. Nonetheless, the path is slow but effective. Seems like a cakewalk with The Host’s persistent, but true directions. At least you can trust him there. Hopefully, his voice will fade away once this situation is done for, or perhaps guardian angels are getting much more sassy and bold. A true test of will.

“Stop. There’s a staircase ahead.” His tone becomes serious for once. Who knew he can do that. You wait patiently for what comes next, hearing the monster’s heavy breathing down the hall. 

“Dealing with this, and the subsequent ground floor will be difficult. It will be impossible to not make noise, but The Host trusts his new friend to be a quick runner.” He lets out a drawn-out sigh, tapping something against a table. “It’s now or never, friend. The Host will still act as a guide, but his instructions will be much more blunt and quick. Follow them without fail.” The static falls quiet, to the point where you can hear your heartbeat racing in your chest. Better go before the beast hears that too.

It’s a simple, straightforward staircase. Luckily, you don’t fall down, but your steps are heavy against the old floorboards. A ground-shaking roar erupts throughout the house, quickly followed by the stomping steps of the beast running towards you. 

He speaks quickly. “Go straight.” 

You race forward as fast as you can, blindly running in the dark. All you can do is follow The Host’s words in this maze. Your heart is pumping loudly in your ears, louder than the static filling your head.

“Left.”

The beast is right on your tail. You can feel its ragged breaths heavy against your back. Just keep running. Never look back, even if it feels like you’re running blindly in a never-ending maze. 

“Watch out for debris.”

It makes you stumble in your tracks. A claw barely grazes against your shoulder, but you persevere and continue booking it. Following The Host’s orders, you weave through the hallways with not another imperfection. 

“The door’s ahead.” You slam right against the wooden door. There’s no time to be dazed, however, as you scramble for the doorknob and pull- “It’s a push.” -and push the door open. 

The dim moonlight is a blessing to a racing heart. You slam the door shut, before scrambling away from the accursed house. A deafening roar emerges from the beast, prompting you to run further away and not look back. A dense forest surrounds the house, which you can’t even see amongst the trees by this point. 

Just when you think you’re free from The Host’s constant rambling, a familiar static fills your head. You don’t understand what he’s mumbling at first, but soon he speaks louder. “The Host is surprised, friend.” 

You find yourself unable to go faster than a steady walk. Must be the exhaustion. “It’s rare for someone to have so much trust nowadays… it’s a nice change of pace.”

There wasn’t much choice back there. You continue your pace through the forest, seemingly knowing where to go in your gut. Nature blends together in a dark blur, disorientating your vision. Just keep calm. The static becomes a comforting white noise.

“It’s been so long since The Host had someone to talk to,” he mutters, tone carrying a hint of remorse. Maybe the static is messing with his voice. “Since he’s had a friend.”

You don’t have the heart to say anything about that claim. Actually, you find that you can’t speak under some mysterious circumstance; a part of you hopes it’s from the fatigue of sprinting. Technically, you do feel indebted to The Host. Without him, that beast would’ve made quick work with you. This situation is confusing, to say the least, but perhaps The Host can help you find your way home, too. If he helped you once, what harm is in another time?

“Such a strange, strange life he has. Some say he can create anything, but he knows he can’t.” It’s definitely not the static making him sound sad now. He sounds like he yearns for something. Some sort of knowledge. “That fact bothers him greatly, yet there’s nothing he can do about it. He needs help learning. Just like how his friend needed help.”

He needs help? Yet, The Host seems like such a powerful creature, not even human. Is that why he helped you? Because he needs you? You aren’t sure what you can possibly offer. This must be some sort of trick, but there’s nothing that would say otherwise. It’s so much simpler when he says stupid rambles. 

“Perhaps it’s a fool’s errand. Perhaps The Host wastes his time with his stories of grandeur like this. He doesn’t have the mind to doubt himself anymore,” He chuckles quietly, the sound getting consumed by static. “Poor, poor Host~”

It feels as if you’re running on autopilot. You’re making a beeline to a destination you have no clue of. Your tired legs are begging for rest, but something inside you tells you that rest will come in due time. Something’s here, your heart knows it. The forest holds a mystery in its unforgiving, cold grasp. You listen to The Host as you look around. Perhaps there aren't only trees here; there’s something in the corner of your eye.

“Don’t look there-”

It’s a shallow, man-made grave; poorly made in nature and hastily covered by leaves. The wind must’ve blown them away. The surrounding grass looks darker, crusted with some substance you can’t pinpoint in the dark. Your mind can only assume.

“Stop looking there!” The Host snaps. He takes a few deep breaths, before laughing to himself. “Silly thing… don’t worry about her. The wolves got to her before The Host could save her. Yes…” He clears his throat and mutters something incomprehensible. Then, you continue walking as if nothing happened, but your mind is racing.

The Host knows about this, but that must mean nothing, right? He sounds so unsure about talking about it. You try to keep it out of your mind; the sudden gust of wind helps with that. It’s a chilling feeling, carrying the leaves around you in a swirled frenzy. They seem to land in calculated ways in the near distance. An interesting sight. As you pass those heaps of leaves, you can’t help but look at them with suspicion. The Host doesn’t comment on it.

“It’s quite late, perhaps it’s unsafe to be out like this,” he warns. “One danger after another, it seems.” He pauses, laughing quietly again. “The Host wants to help again if that’s the case. His friend would like that, right?”

The static falls more silent, barely there. You only hear your own footsteps for a moment. A moment too long, actually. It’s weird, but it feels reassuring to hear The Host ramble on. The grass begins to lead to a man-made pathway as if someone walks this way often. There’s something in the distance, shining a dim, yellow light.

“Perhaps The Host wasn’t as lost as he said he was, but if he said that, would he not be trustworthy? He was worried about that possibility, but he still helped. That must mean something, surely.” It’s too long into this journey to get angry. You don’t know how much of the situation The Host controls. You hope it isn’t much.

“It’s good to build trust, he believes. Especially with someone so… willing. He supposes a life or death situation does that to people.” You swear you can hear his voice out loud. That thing in the distance, it’s coming from there. It looks like a house. You can hear someone in there within the dead quiet of the forest. “Trust will always be so important to him. He cherishes everyone who lends him it. His friends are precious.”

It’s a small, wooden cabin. The lights are on and you see a tall silhouette stand up from his desk, quickly putting away messy piles of paper. There’s no doubt in your mind who this is. The static falls silent, finally, as the figure walks away from his desk. As the door opens, you see the man, _The Host_ , grinning down at you. Blood cascades down his face through bandages that cover his eyes, but he shows no signs of being hurt. He’s just _smiling_ at you. Are you surprised by it?

“The Host invites his friend in. There’s nothing wrong with that, _right?”_

**Author's Note:**

> Experimenting with my writings uwu  
> Writing in a second person perspective is new, but I think I did ok! Lemme know what you think uwu  
> Perhaps I could do romantic x reader things in the future, but I'll do those if inspiration hits. No one writes Host using his radio and it's a crime! It's a cool concept to me
> 
> Tumblr: lamiasluck


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